#and all around inspiration to mattelektras

[xycuro-illuminati]

Why didn’t you like the current Daredevil run?

I'll do a speed round here we go:

- Horrible character assassination on everyone especially Matt and Elektra.

- Zdarsky was v clearly inspired by the mcu Netflix show so the run had a severe case of mcu-ification

- The way he wrote women was atrocious (examples: Elektra, Kirsten, Mindy, literally everyone else)

- The shitty retcon to Elektra's backstory going from the sheltered sweet girl that loved her father sm that when he died it broke her to the point of grief and revenge that she became an assassin and it shattered her worldview to the stupid fucking backstory the mcu tried pulling of her being a spy sent by the Hand to recruit Matt.

- Whitewashed Kirsten AND gave her blue eyes

- the obnoxious way of how Matt was written in terms of religion to the point where he went from caricature to straight up crusader colonizer preaching

- Matt is so horrible in this run this is the most OOC he's ever been it legit feels like reading an mcu dd fanfic from someone who barely watched the show and only took word of fanon and saw gifsets

- Zdarsky tried grabbing story plots from previous runs and executed them horribly to the point where he only grabbed the worst shit from it (the ableism, infantalization, and sexual assault)

- Daredevil Elektra as a concept; it doesn't work. I'm sorry, cool outfit and all, but the Daredevil mantle isn't like the Spider-Man one where anyone can wear the mask. Daredevil was specifically for Matt to process his trauma of losing his father and used it to gain justice where the system would fail for his city. His upbringing fits the mantle and the only person who would fit that mantle is Sam Chung. With Elektra it doesn't work and it's on par with the whole "wife takes the husband's last name" but worse. My friend @thosemintcookies has made better points about this.

- Whitewashed Sam Chung and made him just sit at a cave waiting for the Beast or some shit

- Speaking of the Beast, the Hand being the big bad guys of the whole run sucks. Can we leave the Hand behind please the ninja clan isn't the ultimate dd villain.

- Foggy is just there. He doesn't do much and he's just THERE. It sucks. And he throws around the term catholic guilt for no fucking reason. The guilt Matt feels is regular guilt please shut the fuck up Zdarsky.

- Brought back Mike Murdock and did some decent writing on him only to kill him off. Cool, what was the whole point of that.

- Pulled a gotcha on making us think that zdarsky killed off Kirsten in a train explosion but it turned out she was fine which was so foul. Daredevil comics are NOTORIOUS for fridging female characters so that shit was just unacceptable idc argue with a wall.

- Checcetto's art style sucks I'm gonna be honest. The novelty of it being pretty ended v quickly as soon as he drew poc and holy shit he cannot draw them nor can he draw any other expression.

- Did I mention the ableism? And the infantalization? And the fetishization of Matt's disability? No? Okay well this post covers it all here.

- It gets into racist territory too with how they write Sam and the Hand

- This romantic mattelektra agenda makes my skin itch they're not romantic they're tragic their whole deal is that they could never go back to how they were as lovebirds in college. Soule broke up Kirsten and Matt and they kept it like that for this shlop I'm gonna kill you zdarsky and I'm making Elektra a lesbian now.

- Back to Elektra's character; zdarsky takes the cake in "Let's make Elektra's whole life and character revolve around Matt and Matt only". Making her quit her ways and making Matt treat her like shit by calling her a murderer despite the fact that in previous runs he would NEVER do that and has ACCEPTED that this is who Elektra is.

- Speaking of the murderer shit; Matt is a huge hypocrite in this run and not in a good or fun way. Homeboy got rescued by the other Defenders but then got mad and called them murderers bc they've admitted to killing people and it's the most fanficy thing I've ever read. Zdarsky, did you know. That Matt has known Jessica, Luke, and Danny for years now? Did you know that he already knows that they've killed people before? Did you know that he's teamed up with killers plenty of times (see: Elektra, Natasha, Frank Castle) and doesn't make a big shit about it? Did you know that Matt has killed people before in previous runs?? Did you know that zdarsky?? Bc it's clear he doesn't know.

- Whenever Spider-Man shows up Zdarsky writes him better than anyone in the run and this is a Daredevil run mind you

- Shitty ass writing. Shitty plot bc we've seen it all and there's nothing done. OOC on everyone. Misogynistic writing at its finest. Whitewashed characters. Stupid religious pandering bs that only the mcu girlies would like. Terrible run overall.

@thosemintcookies @froggynelson @faacethefacts @xuanelle @daresplaining @briefcasejuice @evileyeamulet

Feel free to add more or elaborate more on my post I'm giving yall the stage if you want it.

[rxtualistic]

i'm almost caught with replies so here are a list of plots i would absolutely die to write out!

Hill House - group of stranded siblings reunite in their childhood home after some weird and traumatic thing happened. if we do want to add romantic pairings to this we could either throw in their partners or make it a former foster home/orphanage.

Romcoms!! bonus points if it's based on leap year or the princess diaries 2.

A plot inspired by Anastasia the movie - maybe set in modern times?? maybe set in the past?? in the future?? the possibilities are endless.

One of those plots where we each just pick a muse (or maybe make one if we are feeling daring) and use a randomized to pick a scenario and action and just throw them there without doing any plotting at all.

Similar but different. We each pick or make a new muse and don't tell the other any details. the difference is that we have two threads going on simultaneously. one set when our muses are 20/30 and the other a good twenty years in the future. we explore how life has changed them and get to see it in direct because in one thread they are still young and innocent and in the other life has gotten to them.

threesomes, polyships. especially if it's an established couple opening to a third member. or two friends who rather than fight over their shared crush decide to join forces in seducing them. maybe the cliché i'm helping you get this person but opps i fell for you along the way??? only i like them too.

anything with friends to ...??? best friends who slept together and now it's awkward and the friendship might be ruined and it's breaking both their hearts. best friends who have always been in love but both consider the other too good for them. friends turned strangers that reconnect and wait is there a spark?? unrequired crushes!!! classic friends to lovers. friends with benefits that act as a married couple but then one of them calls it quits because they got themselves a s/o.

apocalypse aus. two vastly different people thrown together into an unlikely scenario and having to work together. rivals/enemies having to put their differences aside and team up to survive. i tried to kill you in the past but you're the only person who can help me get to x and the future of mankind depends on it. we used to be friends but you left me behind to die and look who is here now... etc.

supernatural plots!!! anything and everything but especially something like the first seasons of supernatural with our muses saving people and hunting monsters. which leads to creature/creature hunter. i want more vampires. i want witches. i want muses who can speak to the dead and go around solving mysteries thanks to them.

horror plots!! with our muses being the bad guys. with our muses being haunted. with our muses chased by serial killers. anything!

something with submissive boys ?? not necessarily just in the bedroom. maybe they live to serve their partner. they are soft and gentle and nurturing. i want to explore the whole thing.

coworkers!!! with!!! tension!!! maybe everyone knows they are made for each other but them. maybe they truly can't stand each other but might have imagined how it would be to shove the other against the wall and furiously make out with them. maybe they are sleeping with each other but play pretend at work... maybe it's a super soft slow burn!!!

single parents!! single dad x single dad, single mom x single mom, single dad x neglected married park mom/dad, single dad x teacher, single dad x coworker. single dad and single dad/mom whose kids are best friends and spend all their time together getting often mistaken by strangers for a family. exes who now are single parents reuniting!!

MATTELEKTRA INSPIRED PLOT. WITH THE ANGST AND TRAGEDY AND ALL.

[mercuryallen]

[fadedtoblue]

#mattelektravday  |  day 1  |  ever after

i think we deserve a happily-ever-after. if anyone ever did, it's us.

[myrcella]

do u have any tips or general advice (be it relating to skills or attitude) for some1 who is looking to get into making gaming edits :0 i don't just mean like gifs of games, but also like the image collections and graphics u do and stuff.. sorry 2 bother i just find myself really inspired by ur stuff

!!! i don’t know if i can give good advice on this but i can certainly try! honestly, there’s no bigger inspiration than other people. because of that fact i’ve started curating graphics that i find especially appealing so i can perhaps try and either emulate or expand on the same sort of format myself, in my #graphic inspo tag!

here are some of my favourite editors on this site:

travellersfarfromhome, jediknightrey, astheathes, queencersei, lauriestrode, leejordan, mattelektras, lsaks, valryianpoem, skywailer, balduur, buffyannepratt, polydeuce, stannisbaratheon, aredhels

i spend a lot of time researching graphic design; pinterest has a lot of good, random samples of it if you search! that’s mainly where my inspo comes from! itsphotoshop is an equally invaluable resource for its tutorials, psds, templates, textures, fonts, etc.

also in general -- always try and think of a theme for a graphic. think of like, your favourite part of that game and try to form in your head how you could get across your passion for that theme in an edit. think of associated colours, archetypes, aesthetics... let it brew maybe... 

and as well as other people, vintage advertisements have been a good source for me when it comes to specifically fallout graphics, for obvious reasons! so really it’s just worth googling old illustrations and things like that and seeing if you can work with a concept... sorry this sounds so vague but all i really do is think a lot and play around in photoshop! 

and thank you for saying the last part about being inspired that’s really flattering ;____;

[laystudio]

hi! im that anon that asked for a tutorial and you said something specific and i really liked your harvey dent edit? the one that said, god is dead. and it was all red and stuff and super cool looking? no pressure! i just think your stuff is really cool and was wondering what the process behind some of it was!

ofc! it’s no problem at all :)

so i’ll just give a brief rundown and a v rough tutorial on how i made those particular graphics. thank u so much for the support, i’m especially proud of them too and it’s nice to hear u like them as well!

what you’ll need:

photoshop cc 2015.5 but any ps would do really

basic knowledge of photoshop

patience

fonts: dk shaken not stirred, liquido, couture, helvetica, helvetica neue, votu

so the first graphic is a really stupid move and i just realized it like hours after i posted it: it’s one of two graphics that feature a fanart instead of a faceclaim. looking at it as a whole, cohesive set it looks really stupid and surreal? bc it doesn’t match and just throws u off? so my advice is don’t do that. if ur gonna edit from an actual comic then the rest should be like that too (2D) but if ur gonna edit with real life elements i suggest to just stick to that path (3D) so that everything looks coordinated and neat :)

the second one actually took me a while to get right but basically the red circle is in [linear light] and the black circle is in [hard light] mode while the top most white is in [normal]. the paper texture is above all three layers and is on [multiply] mode so it only looks visible on the white circle. the “angels” text is just some basic layer mask so it looks like it’s inside the white circle. as for the style of the graphic itself it’s just based on the previous harvey graphic i did here, the last one on the left. the thing with that is i look for inspiration from other graphics i find and there’s a lot on behance, flickr and even pinterest. just search for ‘graphic designs’ and you’ll find a lot of good ones. u don’t have to copy them exactly but u can adopt and transform it into something urs! but if imitating some designs and tricks is what helps, then it’s fine too. nobody is born an innate artist/designer/whatever so just explore and experiment with what u know and what u want to see. eventually, u’ll be able to develop ur own style.

the third one is basically the same as the second and fairly straightforward. the big, red 2 is set to [darken] mode. i guess with this graphic it’s mostly abt negative space??? and also maybe laziness but negative space is good so that overall, ur graphic set wouldn’t look too cluttered. it helps the eyes breathe i think.  also the main focus is the faceclaim, and since the graphics above and below it is already optically centered, it’s at the rightmost side for asymmetry. just a thought.

ok i’ll be real this is one of my faves bc it just looks so harvey i couldn’t believe my eyes when i saw that hand. i just cut it and applied a gradient map of white and light red i believe so it looks like it’s sketched out or smthng. it looks just like harvey’s burned hand but bc i’m an idiot i forgot to flip the canvas so that it would look like his left instead of his right hand. to this day i regret this mistake. if u look close enough the coin has harvey’s face on it too. damn i love him. but moving on, the lines are made with the pen tool. the pen tool can be a hit or miss thing to use and i just recently learned how to use it properly but it’s v convenient once u got around it! it’s like a sophisticated brush tool if u want to incorporate more lines in ur stuff. u can also use it to cut stuff out (like with the quick selection and magic wand tool) but i don’t do that method often so probs don’t listen to me. i only have a v basic knowledge on it but there’s a yt video tutorial on how to properly use the pen tool if ur interested.

this fifth one is very….. meh. theoretically, it could’ve been better but since i’m the Worst in practice it ended up like that. the design is p much those adidas ads with the many dots? sorry for the plagiarism, adidas, but i don’t make money off of this. so when in doubt just slap some geometry on ur edit and ur good to go. i go for circles bc they’re more aesthetically flexible, if that makes sense? i find rectangles cool but they tend to look out of place in something so vertical; it leaves little space for words and other elements. but polygons look better on horizontal canvases so u can try that too!

the last and definitely least is the most ‘meh’ out of the bunch bc i literally stopped caring abt 2/3 into this thing. the thought that comes to mind is: time magazine cover nov2017 so what does that say abt it really. the text is naturally like that thanks to the font: liquido with a wave-like option if ur into that kind of stuff. some layer masks too to get the effect of the text being inside the harvey art. it looks so dumb now wtf i’m an idiot. but hey, 2 harveys. i’m a visual genius in that respect. again, some gradient maps and a red rectangle border. tip: u should most definitely add a contrasting color or accent in ur graphics, which i once again failed to do here. in this case it’s black since the color palette is red, white and black. it adds a depth to ur work. if ur skilled enough, u can use a wider range of color palettes instead of the usual black, white, [random color]. i, myself, haven’t mastered that yet so that’s what i usually use but one extremely prolific graphic maker who has a good eye for these colors is user mattelektras. u can check out her stuff and see how she uses complementary colors in her edits.

some other things to note:

if u need a paragraph-like text for filler, u can go to type > paste lorem ipsum then adjust the font size to ur liking (somewhere around 0.8pt for maximum unreadability)

it’s good to pay attention to colors and spaces in ur works! the color wheel is ur friend in this trying time

smart sharpen always and forever (at abt 65-130 depending on ur image size)

this got lengthy but i hope i was able to help! i know it’s not that detailed but if u have anymore questions don’t hesitate to ask :) i’m not bothered at all so don’t worry abt it. happy designing!

[fadedtoblue]

Mattelektra V-Day Prompt Party: Official prompt list!

Thank you to those of you who took time to submit such awesome prompts -- we’re so excited to share this final list with everyone and see what ends up getting created for Mattelektra V-Day!! 

Just a reminder that this is a super casual prompt party, in that there’s no need to make any official claims, though you’re always welcome to send an anon ask if you want us to know something is being worked on -- it’ll just get us even more excited over the next few days!! Grab any prompt at any time and just get started :)!

Wedding

Vacations

Children

Who says 'I love you' first?

Creative uses for handcuffs

"I kind of liked my old futon." // "I liked breaking it in."

Library sex is all quiet moans- but library /roof/ sex can be screamed (college Mattelektra)

Role Reversal: Daredevil!Elektra & Black Sky!Matt

Gifset prompt: using this palette, http://love-palette.tumblr.com/post/141782698577

“I love you anyway ― even if there isn't any me or any love or even any life ― I love you.” ― Zelda Fitzgerald

“They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

“I love her, and that's the beginning and end of everything.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

Elektra using her sai to cut our hearts to hang up around her and Matt's place

Matt dreams of Elektra after she dies

Elektra is usually characterized as the kinky one in the relationship but maybe Matt has some tricks up his sleeve. Be creative. 

Domestic Mattelektra

Pet names

Grooming; Elektra shaving Matt, or cutting his hair; or Matt washing her hair (fluff or kink equally loved)

Matt and Elektra in Tunisia 

Elektra lets Matt know she's back in town with a string of secret admirer-type gifts. (expensive chocolate, wine, new silk underwear...?)

Matt and Elektra attend each other's wounds after brutally fighting each other

AU: what if Matt and Elektra were normal people and how their relationship turns out

AU: Elektra was secretly pregnant with Matt's child back in college - a secret she hid from Stick and Matt

Mattelektra run into Kastle and go on a double date

And if nothing off the submitted prompts list gets you going, you are very much encouraged to create based off our general daily prompts, re-listed here:

Sunday, 2/11 - “Ludus” Matt and Elektra as a first love; falling in love

Monday, 2/12 - “Philia” Matt and Elektra as friends and partners; showing affection

Tuesday, 2/13 - “Mania” Matt and Elektra’s intensity and angst; obsessive love

Wednesday, 2/14 - “Eros” Matt and Elektra’s passion; sex and desire

Thursday, 2/15 - “Philautia” Matt/Charlie or Elektra/Elodie appreciation day

Friday, 2/16 - “Agape” Matt and Elektra as soulmates; selfless and unconditional love

Saturday, 2/17 - Free choice

Sunday, 2/18 - Free choice

We hope you find yourselves inspired to create something wonderful!! 

Not sure what’s going on? Original announcement post here. 

[fadedtoblue]

Any good MattElektra fic recs?

I do, I do!!

I get pretty bummed out that this ship doesn’t have the quantity of fic that it deserves, but I do have to say that when people end up writing for it, it’s mad quality. Here are some of my personal favorites that span the range of fluff to angst to smut so…yeah, a little bit of something for everyone LOL:

Escalation by marmolita (NSFW) – Matt and Elektra have sex in the university library. That’s pretty much it. …yup, she’s right, it is. But damn it, I have a weakness for sexy smutty college!Matt and Elektra fluff and this really hits the spot. May I suggest pairing it with the fic immediately below to get a really good college!Matt and Elektra fix :D?

In Blood and Breath (and Bone) by significantowl (NSFW) – It won’t be long now - she’s on the stairs. Her feet are light and quick; her heart’s thrumming fast. Elektra’s blood has become part of his lexicon, a new point of reference for words like dazzling. For bright. @significantowl​ writes for so many ships but whenever she writes for Matt and Elektra my heart does a double flip and my mouth lets out a lot of squeeing sounds. This one is more pure, sexy college fluff and I love it to pieces. 

Test Drive by Julia_Fractal (NSFW) – “Let’s go Matthew,” Elektra says after downing his drink in one long swallow. It’s a command, an invitation, and a challenge rolled into one, and Matt is happy to accept. A new favorite and if you haven’t been able to tell, I’m a sucker for College Matt and Elektra! This one imagines what happens after Elektra and Matt leave the Columbia party. I don’t think I have to warn you that sexy shenanigans soon follow??

Same Time Tomorrow by significantowl (NSFW) – Matt doesn’t let Elektra touch his stupid tie, not this time. She’s already wrapped around him almost everywhere it counts… Ummm, I am unabashedly in love with this one. It’s filthy-sexy-but-oh-so-much-fun kink that spins off of the events of DD 2x06…it was one of the first Mattelektra fics I read on AO3 and remains a fav :D. 

Supernova by Magical_Destiny – Her problem, Elektra thinks, is always wanting too much. She’s a fire that burns too hot and fierce — and fire consumes. A painful but wonderful fic that fills in some of the emotional beats of the Matt/Elektra relationship in DDS2. 

Out Of The Miry Clay by marmolita – AU from the finale where Matt dies instead of Elektra, and gets resurrected by The Hand. This is super dark but interesting spin of the DDS2 finale, being one of the first role reversal fics out there prior to uptick in role reversal fics that came out post-Defenders. It’s a bloody and violent Matt POV so if that’s not your thing, best to avoid. But it’s violently bittersweet if that makes sense?

The Legless Dancer by Katbelle – Dancing is in her blood the same way fighting is. Not completely Matt/Elektra but a gorgeously written piece that explores Elektra’s life. A worthy read!

Half Goddess, Half Hell by extasiswings – The woman in white calls her the Black Sky, tells her she is everything, treats her like a daughter and a weapon in turns. A beautiful fic that explores Elektra’s post-resurrection POV up to Defenders 1x06. 

Absolution by extasiswings – In this universe, Matt is both a lawyer and a SHIELD agent, at first undercover within Fisk’s organization (inspired by Murderdock in SpiderGwen universe). Elektra is the leader of her own organized crime operation (the Hand), and her alias is Black Sky. She and Matt end up working together to take down Fisk, Matt gets new orders to stay undercover within the Hand, and eventually things just happen. As they do. An organized crime AU oneshot (meant to be one in a series of oneshots) that’s deliciously well-written. @extasiswings​ creates such wonderfully specific worlds with her words and er, consider this my not so subtle plea for you to add more to this universe again in the future :D??

A Little Misbehaving by silbecoo aka thekastlediaries – Matt Murdock is a lonely single parent, struggling to figure out what makes his six year old daughter happy, and Elektra is her new teacher, set on using some unorthodox methods to shake up Matt’s conventional ideas. Only one chapter and it may stay that way but I still love it so much and want to share it? Because Matt as a single dad and Elektra being his daughter’s unconventional Catholic school teacher is just so ripe for some fun storytelling! And because I’m mutuals with Beth, I just want her to know that I would love for her to dip a toe back into Mattelektra waters any time she wants :D. 

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t suggest checking out the fic that was posted as part of #mattelektraweek! They are all wonderful and you can find them organized in this round-up post, which also includes a beautiful little number written just for the week by @island-in-the-shadows that I HIGHLY recommend!

Thank you for the ask, both of you, and hope some of you discover some new reads today! 

[fadedtoblue]

It strikes me that Mattelektra is not so popular /: seriously Matt with Claire/Foggy/Karen is more popular on this side of the fandom? I think I spend a lot of time on the comics side to notice it. And also, really I admire you, in every fandom there is always someone like you who is the one who provides all the material of the of the less appreciated ship of the fandom, and sometimes I really feel bad because I would love that you also receive.

Ahh it’s so hard to say. Tumblr is only one microcosm of the fandom, and you’ll find different types of fans here vs places like Reddit, Twitter, and I’m sure there are tons of ppl who don’t bother to interact with fandom in general. I think Mattelektra is relatively well supported around here, but not as popular amongst content creators perhaps? I’d rank Matt and Foggy as the clear cut winner by that metric. As far as the rest, I think it ebbs and flows and it kind of depends on whether the story is serving up content too as that usually effects ship popularity – I definitely saw a much more obvious uptick right after Defenders aired :). 

Haha, honestly, I don’t mind being one of the main pushers of Mattelektra content, b/c if I can inspire just one or two ppl to create something too, I’ll be happy. And you best believe that whenever I do get to “receive” I’m hollering with happiness over here – #mattelektraweek was basically me screamin’ for a week lol. But you are so sweet to even think about that or care ;), I’ve really encountered the NICEST people in the Mattelektra ship!!